"Whate'er we think on't, Forune's but a Toy, / Which cheats the Soul with empty Shows of Joy; / A mere ideal Creature of the Brain, / That reigns the Idol of the Mad and Vain; / Deludes their Senses with a fair Disguise, / And sets an airy Bliss before their Eyes."

— Carter, Elizabeth (1717-1806)


Place of Publication
London
Date
1738
Metaphor
"Whate'er we think on't, Forune's but a Toy, / Which cheats the Soul with empty Shows of Joy; / A mere ideal Creature of the Brain, / That reigns the Idol of the Mad and Vain; / Deludes their Senses with a fair Disguise, / And sets an airy Bliss before their Eyes."
Metaphor in Context
Nullem Numen habes si sit Prudentia, sed te Nos facimus, Fortuna, Deam, Cœloque locamus. JUV.

Whate'er we think on't, Forune's but a Toy,
Which cheats the Soul with empty Shows of Joy;
A mere ideal Creature of the Brain,
That reigns the Idol of the Mad and Vain;
Deludes their Senses with a fair Disguise,
And sets an airy Bliss before their Eyes.
But when they hope to grasp the glitt'ring Prey,
Th' instable Fantom vanishes away.

So vap'ry Fires mislead unwary Swains,
Who rove benighted o'er the dewy Plains.
Drawn by the faithless Meteor's glimm'ring Ray,
Through devious Paths, and lonely Wilds they stray;
Too late convinc'd their sad Mistake deplore,
And find their Home more distant than before.
(ll. 1-14, p. 15)
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Elizabeth Carter, Poems on Particular Occasions (London, 1738). <Link to ECCO>
Date of Entry
06/23/2011

The Mind is a Metaphor is authored by Brad Pasanek, Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia.